Attachment for printing presses



March 6, 1934. D. F. ALLEN ATTACHMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l [N VENTOR DELL fbefsr LLE/V A TTORNE Y March 6, 1934. ALLEN 1,950,206

ATTACHMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR D! fb/eEsr AME/v ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES Dell Forest Allen, Cleveland, Ohio Application February 26, 1932, Serial No. 595,278 4 Claims. (01. 271-61) My invention relates to a new and useful attachment for printing presses and is shown applied to an automatic press using the well known Miller feed mechanism.

One object of the invention is to provide feeding, registering and receiving attachments for a printing press that may be adapted to a wide range of different sized sheets of cardboard or paper forms.

Another object is to provide automatic attachments for feeding, registering and piling stock in sizes from an ordinary business card (2" X 3 up to the minimum size of stock that the printing press will ordinarily handle.

Other objects and advantages may be noted from the following specifications and accompanying illustrations, and in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of a press, showing the auxiliary receiving guide in place on the regular receiving table and also shows the auxiliary stock feeding table in position; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the press showing the auxiliary stock table mounted on the regular table; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the auxiliary stock table; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the register fork mechanism in receiving position; Fig. 6 is a perspective View similar to Fig. 5, but with the fork mechanism in printing position; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the receiving guide; Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings: A printing press is indicated by the numeral 10 with a stock table 11 grooved at 12, upon which is slidably mount- 35 ed an auxiliary stock feeding table 13 between stock guides 14 which are slidable within a groove 15 in table 11 and are mounted on rod 16 and adjusted by means of screw rods in an old manner.

The auxiliary stock feeding table 13 has a slot 18 used with slot 12 in the regular table 11 to ad-- just the table 13 to the correct feeding position by means of a wing nut 19 tightened on a bolt 20 mounted on a dove-tail slide 21 inserted in the slot 12 in the table 11 and extending up through the slit 18, washer 22 and collar 23. By releasing the nut 19 the auxiliary table 13 may be moved forward or back in slot 12 or sideways in slot 18.

A slot 24, counter sunk on the under side of the auxiliary feeding table 13, forms a sliding way for an auxiliary stock guide 25 which is held in adjusted position by a wing 26 thrust through collar 27 and boss 28 and screwed into a threaded lock washer 29 which slides in the counter-sunk slot 24.

The auxiliary register fork mechanism consists of a main supporting arm 30 bent and shaped at the end 31 to fit beside the regular fork mechanism 32 and is fastened in position by screw 33 through an aperture 34 and into the regular fork supporting casting.

At the opposite end of the lever arm 30 is mounted a register fork clamp 35 pivoting on 66 pin 36; an operating arm 37 pivotally mounted at 37a on top of register fork clamp 35 is attached at its opposite end to the regular fork mechanism 32 and actuates the movement of the register fork 38 adjustably mounted through the clamp 35 and fastened in position by screw 39. The movement of the operating arm 37 when actuated by the usual fork mechanism 32 causes the register fork 38 to swing in a short are and thus moves the cardboard or paper stock 40 to the side until it contacts with an end guide 41, and causes all stock 40 to be printed exactly alike.

A receiving or piiing guide 4.2 consists of a single sheet of metal bent to the form shown in Fig. 7 with edges turned back to form a short clip 43 and a long clip 44 to slip over the regular back guide 45 found in printing machines of this type. The tongue 46 is used to prevent the stock so from slipping into the groove 47, and the regular or known stock piling guides 48 hold the finished stock in a neat orderly pile after print mg.

In operation, the auxiliary stock feeding table 13 holds the stock 40, to be printed, in correct position for the sucker 49 to pick up in a manner known to suction feed machines. The carrier rack 50 carries the card down upon the platen 51 to the guides 52 and 53 but slightly away from the end guide 41. The carrier rack 50 then continues to the foot of the platen 51 but lifts slightly when returning for another piece of stock. As the platen of the press 10 begins to close the gripper bars 54 retain their near-vertical position and in this manner actuate the regular .100 fork mechanism 32 which in turn swings the auxiliary fork mechanism from the position illustrated in Fig. 5 to that illustrated in Fig. 6. thus moving the stock 40, which is partly under the spring finger 55 of the register fork 38, until it 5 touches the end guide 41.

The press 10 has now reached the printing or impression position; it prints the card or paper stock 40 and the platen then starts to open; the ordinary pick-up fingers 56 move down to the platen 51 and pick up the card, or paper stock 40, carry it back to the top of the press 10 and drop it upon the receiving or piling guide 42, thus completing the operation.

The attachments are particularly useful on standard automatic printing presses using the well known Miller feed mechanism, which are well known in the art and the operations of which will be recognized by anyone familiar with the art without particular description thereof.

I claim:

1. An attachment for the feeding table of a printing press, adapted for the feeding of cards or the like, comprising an auxiliary table adjust ably mounted on the ordinary feeding table, said auxiliary table having upright guides between which the stack of cards is held, the auxiliary table being slotted and one of the guides being adjustable along the slot.

2. An attachment for the feeding table of 9.

printing press, adapted for the feeding of cards or the like, comprising an auxiliary table adjustably mounted on the ordinary feeding table, said auxiliary table having upright guides between which the stack of cards is held, the respective tables having slots, the slot in one table crossing the slot in the other, and a clamping device engaged in said slots to hold the auxiliary table at adjustment. I

3. An attachment for the receiving guide of a printing press, comprising a single sheet of metal bent to form a middle angular part and two opposite side parts, the ends of the latter being bent back to form clips engaging the ends of said guide.

4. An attachment as in claim 3, the said middle part having a projecting bottom tongue at the lower edge thereof.

DELL FOREST ALLEN. 

